How Technology is Changing the

World of Medicine
Posted by Hunimed Web Team, 20 December 2016

A large number of digital innovations are revolutionizing healthcare — and

technology in medicine is here to stay. Numerous innovations and new solutions are
already on the market and they have all improved healthcare drastically.

Multiple medical issues such as congestive heart failure, diabetes, medication

noncompliance, even stressful isolation, are researched and solved with remarkable
new technologies. Here are some areas researchers are targeting:

Heart failure

One of the most common and costly diagnoses is that of heart failure, with a mortality
rate closer to cancer. It includes three types of sensors – wristband, necklace and
watch – which are used for testing. This type of diagnosis gives both patients and
doctors continuous information on how a compromised heart is functioning.

3D printing

These days, medical researchers are considering the potential of 3D printing in medicine.
For example, Kaiser Permanente’s Los Angeles Medical Center is perfecting the use of
3D printers to replicatemultidimensional models of problematic areas inside patients.
Surgeons can handle the models and simulate a variety of possible operation
replicas before performing the actual surgery.

Alternatively, 3D printing can be used in reproducing bones or other organs in the

human body. This advance in technology is also pushing into prosthetics.
Big data

Data is everything, especially in the healthcare industry. It ranges from analyzing

diagnostic reports to filing patient treatment histories. Healthcare facilities have
an overwhelming amount of information for storage.

IBM research teams say that the same super-computer that won a game of Jeopardy in
2011 is now being used to help physicians make more accurate
diagnoses and recommend treatments.

Accelerated experimentation

The Ebola outbreak has shown that expedited medical research and experimentation are
possible. Due to the fact that the World Health Organization (WHO) feared the
detrimental effects of a world outbreak, vaccination research efforts have increased.
Scientists have started using advanced methods such as chimp adenovirus, which is
“closely related to a human version that causes upper respiratory tract infections.”

Mobile apps

Today, mobile apps are available for everything. In the healthcare sector, this is
especially true. Doctors and patients are discovering new ways to use technology to
monitor personal health. Nowadays, tracking daily sleep patterns, counting calories,
researching treatment options, and even monitoring heart rate is possible.

Remote monitoring

One of the most useful and practical innovations in recent years is remote monitoring
technology. The systems can be used by patients in the comfort of their homes to reduce
the time and financial cost of recurring visits to the doctor. By using a small device
designed to measure a particular health issue, doctors can analyze a patient’s data
remotely without the need for them to come down to the hospital. Pacemaker
patients have made great use of remote monitoring devices.
Improved communication

With the doctors’ busy schedules and limited free time, it is very important to be able to
communicate with them through electronic devices. New developments in technology
have focused on this point and have been designed to improve the link between patients
and doctors (and viceversa). A new social network is attempting to connect doctors
better by providing a safe place to interact.